Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes interesting narrative, but flawed analysis
Review: Charles Ferguson is smart. Charles Ferguson knows he's smart. But Charles Ferguson thinks he's smarter and more important than he really is, and this makes this otherwise interesting book sometimes painful to read.The chapters covering the formation through eventual acquisition of Vermeer Technologies are an interesting education in the ways of VCs and hi-tech startups in the mid 90's. However, the last three chapters of the book are pretty worthless. These contain Ferguson's analysis of the industry and predictions for the future, and suffer because of Ferguson's worldview that he and Vermeer were far more important to the industry than they actually were. Ferguson lacks an understanding of large IT operations, and it's unfortunately evident in these chapters. Ferguson's pronounced hostility towards certain actors in his book - including former subordinates - also makes for uncomfortable reading. Some things should simply be kept private. Buy the book if you want to learn about VCs and hi-tech startups early in the Internet era, and don't mind wading through Ferguson's ego eruptions. Otherwise, skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: Straight shooter who did it right
Review: Charles Ferguson, an MIT PhD, was the founding CEO of Vermeer Technologies, a company that developed one of the first web design tools. Vermeer sold the company to Microsoft for a boatload of money and lived to tell the tale. It's a fasinating story of what its really like on the inside of a high-tech startup replete with politics, hard-ball negotiations and strange bedfellows. Ferguson may be arrogant, but he's smart and tells it like it is. Anyone thinking of building a startup should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Straight shooter who did it right
Review: Charles Ferguson, an MIT PhD, was the founding CEO of Vermeer Technologies, a company that developed one of the first web design tools. Vermeer sold the company to Microsoft for a boatload of money and lived to tell the tale. It's a fasinating story of what its really like on the inside of a high-tech startup replete with politics, hard-ball negotiations and strange bedfellows. Ferguson may be arrogant, but he's smart and tells it like it is. Anyone thinking of building a startup should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: High Stakes, No Prisoners : A Winner's Tale of Greed and Glo
Review: Charles H. Ferguson has written an astonishing book, which operates on many levels. As Bob Metcalf, Ethernet inventor and founder of 3COM noted in his book jacket blurb, ".... Every would-be Silicon Valley entrepreneur should read this book." Amen. With interest it is noted that Metcalf appears to be the only individual "brave enough" to contribute a book jacket blurb to this superb book. Hats off to Metcalf, and Ferguson, of course. Mr. Ferguson exposes the dirty dancing that takes place between many Venture Capital firms and their prey - unsophisticated Entrepreneurs with good ideas. If you're writing a Business Plan ... or about to ... if you're intrigued by the New Economy ... if you want to understand what really happened to Netscape ... if you want to stand back in awe and understand how Microsoft does it ... BUY THIS BOOK, and read it before you do anything else. Beyond merely brilliant, penetrating and scholarly analysis, Ferguson bravely exposes his deeper and darker nature, and by doing so allows the reader to believe ... certainly want to believe ... in the validity of the shocking material regarding sharp business practice. Ferguson is un-relenting in self-criticism. Beyond his self-reported arrogance, and without crocodile tears he strongly implies to the reader that his passion, arrogance, tenacity, whatever one wants to call it, is required for an Entrepreneur to succeed against sophisticated players. Yet, this reader became convinced that he cares deeply about people and society at large. Finally, his PhD in Political Science from MIT, and obvious continuing deep interest and research in all matters relating to telecommunications comes through powerfully in the final chapter. He goes directly to the heart of a systemic US and International problem as no one has done before in print. Ferguson clearly and carefully documents the fact that the local telecommunications companies - telephone and cable -- are not only denying all of us the power of high bandwidth in the digital age, but, in so doing are literally damaging the overall economy. Here again Mr. Ferguson names names, and shocking as it may be in terms of recent political events, Presidential candidate John McCain is shown to be a water carrier and clear beneficiary of the extraordinary, if not unprecedented Cartel that blocks all of us from having high bandwidth. Buy the book for this chapter alone - if you want your bandwidth. Arguably, the only thing missing from Mr. Ferguson's extremely well written book is a copy of the Business Plan he wrote to raise the original VC funding for Vermeer Technologies. On the other hand, if you allow Charles to invest in your startup, he'll probably share that work. "Six Stars" Ken Kappel ken@webglobal.com
Rating:
Summary: witness to the start of the Internet revolution
Review: High Stakes is an intensely personal book from a witness to the start of the Internet revolution. Charles Ferguson had an essential widget for creating interactive web pages, and he had it before anyone else. He tells about the pain of suffering of growing a company ahead of its time and then getting caught up in the whirlwind that followed... While the General Motors of the world took decades to become ossified, the author found a sclerosis of thinking in Silicon Valley as soon companies had any taste of success. This is not a how-to book. This is a "how it felt book". I like it and I recommend it to anyone starting a company or anyone curious about technology and society.
Rating: 
Summary: insightful analysis of Microsoft v. Netscape plus bonuses
Review: I met Charles once or twice in and around MIT (he was a grad student in political science; I was/am in the engineering school). So I can vouch for the other reviewers' comments that Charles isn't Mr. Smooth. Nor do I give the book 4 stars because he seems likely to displace Seamus Heaney as a poet. But you'll never see a clearer explanation of how hired-gun CEOs can run a company into the ground. The bigger and most interesting example of this phenomenon covered in the book is Netscape. In ancient times it was believed that you had to train people for 5 or 10 years before they could assume significant management responsibility within a company. Jack Welch started at GE in 1961. He became CEO 20 years later. Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980. He became CEO 20 years later. Venture capitalists are big believers in the idea that any random company can be lead by any random people with impressive resumes. But it doesn't seem to work in the software products business and Charles Ferguson explains why not. So it is true that the book could have been better written and better edited. But the ideas are worth the wade.
Rating:
Summary: a good book for people who hate VCs
Review: I've started companies and I've also been a VC and neither experience is very pleasant. The only pleasant parts are getting the initial idea, seeing it work, and then selling the company. There's a saying "hide the equity - the VCs are coming!" Ferguson (and also Jim Clark at SGI) had to deal with that. The VCs come in, take all the equity, make bad management decisions (because they are financial guys and have 10 other companies to worry about) and then either take all the spoils or spoil all the take. The fascinating thing about Ferguson's story is that the story of his business is not really about products or marketshare or management, its about VCs and Microsoft. That's the new business in today's world. The only downside of this book is why be so bitter about the company that made you into a hundred millionaire?
Rating: 
Summary: He's proud to be arrogant
Review: If you can't see anything wrong with the title line of this review, than maybe you will enjoy this book. There are a few nuggets in this book, but they are very few and very far between. This guy is a total blowhard and is completely in love with the sound of his own voice. He is a total master of the obvious, he states obvious things at great length over and over again with minor variations. It's hard to believe that he was involved in any meaningful way with any hi-tech success. I think it's more likely that he lucked into a situation that he fought hard to stay a part of, but he was never really a key player. He is totally shameless in packaging and marketing this contentless rambling. And more fool me, I bought the hard bound version. A waste of both time and money.
Rating:
Summary: An Authentic Silicon Valley Story
Review: Mr. Ferguson's book is the only narration I have so far encountered (including Mr. Michael Lewis' THE NEW NEW THING, Mr. Po Bronson's THE NUDIST ON THE LATE SHIFT, and Mr. Randall E. Stross' EBOYS) that may actually represent what goes on in the entrepreneur world, and it does so in a straightforward tone with a whole lot of humor- and some cynicism- thrown in, making the book an enjoyable read. What's amazing about this book is its age: although the book is from 1999, much of what Mr. Ferguson concludes about where the industry is headed has come true or is slowly being recognized by the mainstream line of thought (this is quite an accomplishment in case you do not understand the rarity of such occurrences). Mr. Ferguson actually understands the technology and business underlining his startup as well, and he isn't afraid to admit when his comprehension falls short. Ask any engineer- this personality attribute in leaders of the entrepreneur world is becoming increasingly uncommon, unfortunately. If you're looking for a book that is written by someone who has been there and has also stood the test of time in terms of holding its conclusions intact, this is it for the late 90s era. If you're looking for a book by an outsider who doesn't seem to understand what's really going on and that romanticizes Silicon Valley or Route 128, look for something else. I especially recommend this book to anyone who is frustrated with the herd mentality in the tech world and would like to read something that has a refreshing independence to its views. (Actually, on second thought, if you're looking for a book that humorously shoots itself in the foot with its free-wheeling conjectures and hasty exclamations prior to the stock market correction, check out those books I listed above).
Rating:
Summary: Very informative
Review: OK, If I could I'd give it 4.5 stars or so -- there are flaws. But basically, the book has a lot of great info, especially for geeks who work in the software business. There are very few books on the business side of things.
The author is incredibly blunt. Perhaps a bit nasty. But it is clear that he had to do it so that he didn't get fleeced. Also, it is great to see someone with a backbone.
The step-by-step evolution of stuff is great. You really get a feel for what happened, when it happened.
I'd say it is required reading for geeks.
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